Exploring heterogenous TiO₂ nanocrystals from natural ilmenite mineral extraction for energy application

The semiconductor oxide material titanium dioxide (TiO₂) has a number of strategic uses, such as an antimicrobial, self-cleaning, photocatalyst, and dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). Despite the fact that his substance is naturally obtained from the ilmenite (FeTiO₃) mineral, there have been few investigations in this field. This work produced heterogenous TiO₂ nanocrystals from ilmenite extraction, which were then subjected to post-hydrothermal treatment at a range of temperatures of 80, 100, 120, and 150 °C. In the present study, it was examined how temperature change affected the optical characteristics, crystal structure, and prospective integration of TiO₂ nanocrystals into DSSC. The obtained TiO₂ nanocrystals were identified as anatase phase by the X-ray diffraction analysis. As a result of raising the post-hydrothermal temperature from 80 to 150 °C, the crystallite size of heterogenous TiO₂ nanocrystals was successfully enhanced from 58.09 to 72.48 nm. The band gap energy (E_g) may be lowered from 2.81 to 2.65 eV by increasing the size of the crystallites. The greatest open circuit voltage (V_oc) measured by the voltage test findings was 16.80 mV. According to the study's findings, heterogenous TiO₂ nanocrystals synthesized from the ilmenite mineral might be used in dye-sensitized solar cell applications.